By Jessica Lien 

When the Department of Health, Sport, and Human Physiology moves into the new Health Sciences Academic Building this summer, the logistics alone are daunting: coordinating shared research spaces, maintaining grant timelines, ensuring equipment stays calibrated, and minimizing downtime for active studies spanning everything from cardiovascular disease to exercise physiology.

The department has never attempted a transition at this scale—and it's happening during a period of significant research expansion, with faculty and trainee funding on the rise.

Enter Associate Professor Anna Stanhewicz, HSHP's new director of research operations.

"HSHP is in a phase of rapid research growth," said Stanhewicz. "As the department navigates this growth and prepares to move into the brand-new building this summer, having a position with an eye focused specifically on research will help make that move a smooth transition and optimize the research opportunities in HSAB."

Building the infrastructure for what comes next 

Stanhewicz's immediate priority is straightforward, but critical: developing policies for shared research spaces in the new building and ensuring the move doesn't derail active research projects.

But the role extends well beyond helping manage a building transition. Working closely with the Department Executive Officer Gary Pierce, Stanhewicz will identify funding opportunities for faculty, coordinate grant development support, help students identify fellowships, and address systemic barriers that slow research progress.

"My hope is that this position can help strengthen and streamline research processes for faculty and students, and that this will be reflected in more successful grant applications, manuscript publications, and research conference presentations," Stanhewicz said.

The position also means capturing institutional knowledge that already exists within HSHP and turning it into shared resources—so that early-career faculty and graduate students can learn from what already works rather than rebuilding processes from scratch. 

Deep experience with the research enterprise 

Stanhewicz brings direct experience running a research lab, managing federal and foundation research grants, supervising trainees, and maintaining compliance with university and federal requirements. She's also served as a reviewer for grant and fellowship applications, which shapes how she supports faculty and students pursuing funding.

That hands-on background informs her approach to the role. She knows what can go wrong in research operations because she's navigated those challenges herself.

"I have benefited considerably from the mentorship of collaborators and program support through the University of Iowa," Stanhewicz said. "My approach to leadership is to provide and/or facilitate those same benefits to other faculty and students in HSHP." 

Research that spans human health and disease 

As the department prepares for both a physical move and continued research expansion, Stanhewicz’s new position reflects a broader commitment: that ambitious research depends not only on individual expertise, but on the systems that support discovery.

"Research in HSHP spans all aspects of human health and disease, and as a faculty, we are uniquely positioned to meet the challenges of the moment," said Stanhewicz. "Our faculty and students are stellar, conducting important and innovative research, and I am looking forward to helping them achieve their goals."